Air-cushioned heel with breathing function

ABSTRACT

An air-cushioned heel with the breathing function has an airbag inside the shoe outsole and recess. The airbag has a panel with a profile compliant with the recess. The bottom of the panel extends downward a plurality of wrinkled sacs. The sacs are connected with intake ducts to extend into the intake passage, and at least one exhaust duct to extend into a vent. In practice, the airbag is compressed/expanded repeatedly to produce a breathing effect, so that air inside the shoe exchanges with the ambient environment. Moreover, the wrinkled sacs can effectively enhance the elastic restoring force of the airbag, to increase the efficiency of the air exchange. It also avoids the drawbacks of elastic fatigue and collapse due to prolonged use of the airbag.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The invention relates to an improved structure of shoes and, in particular, an air-cushioned heel with the breathing function.

2. Related Art

Human being is a multi joint skeleton structure that walks with two feet. Therefore, all the weight and the load are borne by the feet. In addition to support weight, the feet also function as shock absorbers, pushers and balancers when walking or running. When engaged in sports or outdoor activities, it is more than required to use appropriate footwear to protect the feet.

Since heat generated by the body cannot be effectively discharged when wearing shoes, the foot is constantly sweating and enclosed in a hot and humid environment. The odor thus generated is often intolerable. There are many designs to keep the shoes dry and to reduce the temperature inside the shoe in the shoe industry.

ROC Pat. No. M377886 entitled “improved air-cushioned shoes” adds an airbag in the heel of the shoe outsole as a power source for exchanging air. As shown in FIG. 1, the sole 10 consists mainly of an insole 11, a midsole 12, and an outsole 13. The heel of the outsole 13 has a recess 131, in which an airbag 14 is provided.

The airbag 14 has an intake duct 141 connected to several channels 132 of the forefoot of the outsole 13 and an exhaust duct 142 of a side hole on the heel of the outsole. As one walks, the airbag 14 repeatedly compresses/expands to suck air via the intake duct 141 into the airbag 14 and to expel air via the exhaust duct 142. The air thus circulates between inside and outside of the shoe.

Although the above-mentioned heel structure in the prior art has a breathing function, the airbag 14 is lack of the reinforced design against compression. It is likely to collapse after prolonged use. Consequently, not only can it not produce the breathing effect, the collapsed airbag also deforms to have a shortened height. The user may feel uncomfortable because the heels lose required support.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, the invention provides an air-cushioned heel whose structure is more stable and reliable, significantly improves comfort at the heel, and has a breathing function.

To achieve the above objective, the invention comprises: a shoe outsole and an airbag. The shoe outsole and the heel are formed with a recess to accommodate the airbag. The outsole at the forefoot is provided with an intake passage going to the recess. The side of the heel has at least one vent hole connecting to the recess. The airbag is disposed inside the recess, and has a panel whose profile matching with the recess. The panel extends downwardly and integrally several wrinkled sacs. The sac has an intake duct extending into the intake passage, and an exhaust duct extending into the vent hole.

With the above-mentioned structure, the disclosed air-cushioned heel with the breathing function makes use of the repeated compression/expansion effect of the airbag to circulate air between inside and outside of the shoe. Moreover, the wrinkled sacs can effectively enhance the elastic restoring force of the airbag, thereby increasing the efficiency in air exchange. It also avoids the drawbacks of elastic fatigue and collapse due to prolonged use of the airbag.

The sac is provided with a first valve for the connection with the intake duct in the direction of the forefoot of the outsole. The sac is also provided with a second valve for the connection with the exhaust duct on the side of the heel.

The outskirt of the sacs is formed with several arc sections retreated toward the sacs. The inner wall of the recess of the outsole is formed with protruding parts corresponding to the arc sections to enhance the structural strength and positioning effect of the sacs.

The forefoot of the outsole has a plurality of extended passages connected with the intake passage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following description and accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the structure of a heel with the breathing function in the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 shows the structure of the airbag according to the first embodiment; and

FIG. 6 shows the structure of the airbag according to the second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same references relate to the same elements.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment. The invention mainly consists of an outsole 20 and an airbag 30.

The outsole 20 has a recess 21 at the heel for accommodating the airbag 30. The forefoot of the outsole 20 is formed with an intake passage 22 connected to the recess 21. The side of the heel is formed with at least one vent hole 23 connected to the recess 21.

The airbag 30 is disposed inside the recess 21 of the outsole 20. It has a panel whose profile matches with the recess 21. The panel 31 extends downwardly and integrally a plurality of wrinkled sacs 32. Each of the sacs 32 is connected with an intake duct 33 extending into the intake passage 22 and at least one exhaust duct 34 extending into the vent hole 23.

When in use, the airbag 30 is repeatedly compressed/expanded to produce a continuous breathing effect. The air thus circulates between inside and outside of the shoe. In particular, the wrinkle design of the sacs 32 effectively increases the elastic restoring force of the airbag, enhancing the air exchange rate. It avoids the drawbacks of elastic fatigue and collapse due to prolonged use of the airbag.

In practice, there is at least one exhaust duct 34. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 uses one exhaust duct 34 as an embodiment. The sac 32 has a first valve 321 for the connection of the intake duct 33 in the direction of the forefoot of the outsole. The sac has a second valve 322 for the connection of the exhaust duct 34 on the side of the heel.

FIG. 6 shows the design of airbag 30 with one or two exhaust ducts. In this embodiment, the sac 32 has a first valve for the connection of the intake duct 33 in the direction of the forefoot of the outsole. The sac 32 has a second valve 322 for the connection of the exhaust duct 34 on each of the sides of the heel to render two vent holes.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the outskirt of the sacs 32 is formed with several arc sections 323 retreated toward the sacs. The inner wall of the recess 21 of the outsole is formed with protruding parts 211 corresponding to the arc sections 323 to enhance the structural strength and positioning effect of the sacs.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover all modifications that fall within the true scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An air-cushioned heel with the breathing function, comprising: an outsole, which has a recess for accommodating an airbag at the heel, an intake passage at the forefoot connecting to the recess, and at least one vent hole on the side of the heel that connects to the recess; and an airbag, which is disposed inside the recess and has a panel whose profile matches with the recess, wherein the panel extends downwardly and integrally a plurality of wrinkled sacs, each of which has an intake duct extending into the intake passage and at least one exhaust duct extending into the vent hole.
 2. The air-cushioned heel with the breathing function of claim 1, wherein the airbag is formed with a plurality of arc sections retreated toward the sacs at the outskirt of the sacs.
 3. The air-cushioned heel with the breathing function of claim 2, wherein the inner wall of the recess of the outsole is provided with protruding parts corresponding to the arc sections. 